Classroom Management

I've found that in a P.E. class, classroom management is a very fuzzy issue. You want the students to be active and have fun without them going wild. I found that the teacher I observed, while being a student teacher, was still able to have control in the gym. The teacher started the day pretty much the same, so the kids knew exactly what to do and it was easy for the teacher to call kids out. Depending on their behavior, he would either call them out in front of the class, blow the whistle, or if they were just sitting and not participating, he would often squat down to their level and talk to them individually. I feel like the students (for the most part) have a respect for their teacher, even though he's not really their actual teacher. One day I arrived on time but the teacher was running a bit late. I sit on the sidelines and am not much of an authority figure to these children, yet even without their teacher there, they settled down to their roll-call spots and waited. I also find that with P.E. classes, the teachers tend to do a lot more of refereeing than teaching, especially in a sixth grade P.E. class because you want to keep things consistent but also keep kids from getting bored and misbehaving. I also found that the teacher I was observing kept on kids, rather than just letting those who chose not to participate continue to sit on the sidelines. He definitely has a passion for what he's doing and is determined to help kids stay healthy.